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My submission for recreating the Bounce.

As a general rule, digital communication has largely moved beyond forum presences and wide-spectrum news outlets. The Hibees Bounce, a necessary resource for a great many fans to get together, communicate and grab club news, appears to be sadly in line with online media trends. It’s seeing an ebb of engagement at a time when supporters across Scotland potentially feel less and less linked to their clubs due to challenging governance from the Scottish football authorities, and a seemingly never-ending decline in European and international performance.

We’re on the slide.

But it’s important to note that the Hibees Bounce is a well-established brand amongst Hibs supporters, and within the wider perspective of Scottish football supporters. This is because the simple, visceral and joyous matchday behaviour that spreads it is inclusive, fun and instantly recognisable. From a wider point of view, this means that any attempt to revitalise the online experience provided by the Bounce is in a rarely strong position – the brand already exists, and that’s a very strong point to be starting from.

The big question, therefore, is not if the Bounce wants to reimagine and modernise itself.

It’s what the Bounce wants to reimagine and modernise itself into.

This article is my proposal, and I hope the start of a wider consultation amongst Hibs supporters as to how they want to get actively involved promoting the club.

Football in Scotland – Dependent upon Disengaged Fans

Throughout Scotland, the game is financially built upon those that walk through the turnstile. TV money coming into the game is extremely small, meaningful sponsorship is hard to come by, prize money isn’t as meaningful as it should be, and any financial deals are consistently carved up in the service of the top clubs. Those who purchase season tickets are what clubs financially plan around, while walk-ups and merchandise sales are a consistent, though performance-dependent, addition to these monies.

This puts Scottish supporters in a fundamentally odd position. Their clubs rely on them, but they’re consistently the last-considered piece of the puzzle.

There are two aspects to this problem that exasperate it:

1. Scottish football is competing with the ubiquity of European competition on TV for engagement, and is of inferior quality.
2. Engagement amongst younger fans is becoming increasingly difficult as the average age of matchday attendants rises.

So not only are football clubs in Scotland financially dependent upon their supporters; they’re also competing with cheaper alternatives of a higher quality, and a struggle to engage younger fans.

Now don’t forget, that Scotland isn’t in a bad position when it comes to matchday attendances. Many of us consider Scottish football fans to be fanatics, and the numbers bear this out. In any European comparison, attendance at Scottish matches is extremely high per capita when one considers the relative quality of what’s on offer. Adjusting for population, we know that average attendances in Scotland are better than in England, where the game is absolutely awash with sponsorship and TV money. The doom and gloom sold to us by corporate media and, all too tragically often, the governing bodies, is simply not borne out by the reality.

But what does any of this have to do with the Hibees Bounce?

Bouncing into the Modern Age

If we want to drag the Scottish game into modernity and engage younger fans to become the next generation of Hibs supporters, we want to reinvent the Bounce as a wider vehicle for both the creation, and distribution, of high-quality online content. The building blocks are already there to start with; the Bounce has its own web presence via its forums, it has an established Facebook page (3,300 likes), Twitter feed (9,000 followers), YouTube feed (350 subscribers) and a sizeable forum membership. It’s also worth bearing in mind that said forum membership is comprised of two distinct sections – the active posting community, which is small, and the inactive reading community, which is large. What this implies is that while engagement with content might seem sparse, consumption of that content is likely to be very high.

Again, this is a good position to be in.

But what should the content look like?

Most studies of online content consumption point to success coming from a general level of professionalism, an engaged and connected social media strategy, bite-sized news delivery mechanisms (with more in-depth commentary “below the line”), user-generated live content (written and unwritten), promotion of special-interest groups, and unique products that can’t be found elsewhere. From these basic starting points, this is the five-point program that I’m submitting for reimagining the Bounce:

- User and “administrator” content created for multiple aspects of the club.
- The promotion and development of the unique “Just Back”.
- A live Internet radio program broadcast on a weekly basis.
- Modernising the forums to better engage the “app generation”.
- Wrapping all of this up with a consistent social media delivery plan.

The above five points might read like corporate-speak gibberish, and that’s because they are. So, let’s flesh out all five points to better articulate where we want to go with them.

News

“News” is, typically, not very interesting. The club often distributes news via its social media channels and website, but it’s usually neither interesting nor engaging. Copying a webpage into your Facebook group is equally unengaging and simply doesn’t promote interest. The Bounce, therefore, can plug this gap with “staff” content, as well as properly edited user submissions that make every supporter a contributor. Here are the news sections I propose:

The First Team;
The Development Squad;
The Youth Teams;
The Ladies Team;
Someone ‘In The Know’ tells me.

A staff writer should be employed for each individual position, with the sole prerequisite being attendance at matches and a passion for documenting it for others. Content should be a mix of written articles, videos, podcasts, group discussions or any other method the author enjoys most. Looking to compile something for matchdays is a given, but other ideas often include mid-season or season reviews. This is a strong starting point, and other topics can easily be introduced.

“Just Back”

“Just Back” is close to unique, is written fairly from a Hibs perspective, and is a fundamentally vital resource to those who cannot attend games and want a club-prioritised report from the match. It’s also a key aspect of post-match catharsis, and is heavily read and engaged with on a great many occasions. I do, however, feel as though it could be even better if it tried to capture the matchday experience from beyond the current readership of the Bounce itself. As such…

I propose that staff look to find volunteers, post-match, to discuss the game with them and how they found it. Any supporter can come up and make their comments, raw as they are, and an edited final video/audio should be appended to the written “Just Back” article. Contacting the club directly could help us to promote it, potentially via the fans representatives, with specific parts of the stadium allocated for supporter interviews.

The written product would be compiled by its author as normal, with the final product distributed the following day (if matchday is impossible). In time, who knows? Maybe even managers and players will have their say, and the format could be expanded to including visiting supporters and/or staff.

(Green and) White Noise

Talk shows of one form or another have always captured the imagination, and this would be no different. (Green and) White Noise would start off with supporters at the mic, using current media such as Messenger and Skype to communicate, and broadcasting live with the ability to take calls as the show develops. Topics could include the most recent match and “Just Back”, weekly forum discussions that have piqued interest, club news that’s generated interest, and potentially interviews with club staff on topics that supporters are interested in.

The show itself would be archived in podcast form, as is the case with other shows of this type, and could potentially be developed into a visual form of media if it were of sufficient quality and popularity. I suspect it would be.

The Bounce Forums

The heartbeat of the Bounce, and arguably its only current incarnation, is obviously the forums themselves. Modernity has rendered forums largely obsolete, but a strong community that still uses them consistently shouldn’t be ignored. I do, however, feel that they should be dramatically cleaned up, if only to support cleaner browsing outside of Tapatalk, with older or cluttered content archived so that it isn’t lost. As things stand, the Bounce currently has eleven forums and nineteen sub-forums across three categories. This is excessive. My proposal is to re-organise away from sub-forums, and re-structure as follows:

The main casualties are “Someone In the Know” (a news page), and the supporter’s clubs (one forum is probably enough). From here, general traffic usage should be cleaned up off the site; signatures or avatars that are excessive in size (including mine!), the sponsor/advertisement gifs, and archiving/deleting of old threads, images and content.

The plan is to make the forums easier to navigate, load and contribute to, while pulling down their bandwidth.

Social media

It’s understood that a lot of bouncers are hesitant to make the jump to social media, but the reality is that its fast supplanting conventional forums in its role as a content delivery vehicle. As mentioned above, the Bounce already has a decent following on Facebook and Twitter, could do much better with YouTube, and could even develop into Instagram or Snapchat with user-submitted images and content. If all of this was linked with the forums themselves, and the site, and they were used to engage supporters rather than merely being used as a forwarding tool… Suddenly, social media works for the Bounce rather than in spite of it.

Supporters could even use social media to submit content to the Bounce for things like “Just Back”, or to contribute to the debate on (Green and) White Noise.

Additional considerations

It’s understood that a lot of this will seem extremely fanciful, and hopelessly ambitious. But believe me when I tell you that no other supporter’s group is doing anything near this, nor even contemplating it to my knowledge. It is, however, a monumental amount of work to both establish, and then maintain. As a result of this, a much bigger bevy of “staff” would be required. These are my recommendations, as a bare minimum:
Forum administrators: Keep the forums clean, and manage membership.News Authors: Discussed above, but necessary. Two or three for each topic wouldn’t be a bad thing.Content Editors: Submissions from appointed authors, and from supporters, will need edited. This is their job.Media Distributors: Managing social media, and distributing the content passed on by the content editor(s).Just Back Authors: As has just happened, a cadre of Just Back authors would need maintained.Just Back Interviewers: Post-match, we need a man/woman with a mic asking the questions.Just Back Cameramen: Almost everyone has a phone, but something better would be nice. The job description is obvious.(Green and) White Noise Host: Whether you’re Parky, or whether you’re Wossy, the job will need done.Website administrator: The central hub of the website is the portal to everything we create – someone will need to manage it.Operations manager: Ultimately, the person pulling the strings and ensuring everyone is doing their job. Also a problem solver.

There will be other jobs that need doing, as well as volunteers, but the love of the club and the chance to get involved should be the primary motivation. There is no desire (or, probably obviously, no means) to pay anyone. Sponsorship, however, should be sought – but it should be sought to pay for server costs. Bounce contributors will need a whip-round in order to get the projects off the ground, and it’s entirely possible that a lot of this is being done by independent groups who may wish to do it for the Bounce.

At that stage, Hibs-sympathetic businesses, especially those in the local area, should be presented with the project in order to seek sponsorship. If many of these aspirations are met, finding sponsorship should be relatively easy amongst entities that will WANT to get involved.

So, to summarise…

This has been a huge post, and those of you who have gotten to the end will be issued with a virtual medal of patience and a bandage to mop up the blood that’s pouring from your eyes. My apologies are extended to anyone who’s toes I’ve stepped on, that was never my intent, and I’m happy to be corrected on any and all factual inaccuracies that are presented in this article. This is also only meant as the starting point of the discussion and, as a result, is open to all honest and constructive criticism.

Clearly, I’m also open to answering any questions.

The Bounce, with me in the Netherlands, is a vital resource to keep me involved with Hibs supporters following our club. It’s dear to me, despite my being merely a junior member compared with some, and I hope that everyone will take my submission here in the spirit with which it was intended.

A lot to digest; I'm sure responses will filter through after consideration. First of all, though, have some rep, Zell - 10/10 for proactivity. (Did you run it by the current admins first, btw?)

All I can say is, as a stalwart who definitely wants the thing to survive for many years to come, I'm willing to do my bit.

I'm up on "Just Back" for the derby on the 24th - assuming it's not absolutely sh!te, I will happily continue to contribute to that as an "every home game" punter. I'd also be happy to edit content - I have some experience with this.

Other than that, I'm on board with anything that helps the Bounce thrive. Would also like to offer my sincere commendations to the lads and lasses who've brought it thus far (and hopefully will continue to do so ongoing).

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Will read this properly when I get home from work.

We are run by a small band of volunteers, there are no staff because we have no money to pay staff. All Admins have full time jobs including a number of very demanding jobs, not least our resident MP.

I am glad my appeal for Just Back volunteers has brought folk forward but it remains to be seen whether the situation is sustainable. To date, due to the way fixtures have fallen, only HibeeZab has had to step up (thank you) in addition to me doing the others. I think it could bring a new energy and interest level. Time will tell how that pans out.

On first look, I don't know where the human resources are coming from but am happy to look more closely later in the day. The idea about the Just Back feedback thing I have real doubts over. I'd like my friend and partner in Just Back crime @1875 give his thoughts. It's been a thankless task for us, if truth be told.

One piece of info we have to hand is how people use the site. At any one time there are significant numbers of non contributors using the site for Private Messaging. It's intriguing given the number of communication apps available elsewhere. I'd love to get more of a handle on that.

Thanks for taking the time to write this idea up. I am sure some of those more established volunteers will have views that can add to debate.

I think the key is to somehow attract new fans looking to sign up to the forum. Most will sign up with .net before the bounce, and that's only to do with numbers. Two forums for a club our size is hard to do.

Just to clarify this one, guys; I originally asked if any of the administrators would find a submission like this inappropriate, and @Jamie suggested it'd be fine.

Apologies again if it's stepping on anyone's toes.

Yep. Was just answering Aggies question

I'd say that as we will need time to digest and discuss as an admin team, it possibly would have been beneficial to have had it first so we were better placed to give a consensus view on aspects of it, sooner.

I'd say that as we will need time to digest and discuss as an admin team. It possibly would have been beneficial to have had it first so we were better placed to give a consensus view on aspects of it, sooner.

Biggest issues are human resource and cost. The time and effort the admins must put in to moderate and fund this site are admirable and something which so many of us are grateful for. When up against the large free social media services which are meant to moderate it becomes even harder.

The idea about the Just Back feedback thing I have real doubts over. I'd like my friend and partner in Just Back crime @1875 give his thoughts. It's been a thankless task for us, if truth be told.

I gave up as I got scunnered. Its great you have put your thoughts forward Zellviren but I think its too late.

I am pleased some bouncers have volunteered to help #SKII with the Just Backs, I hope it survives. Although I will be honest and say I have enjoyed my time off, its great.

I think the feedback thing would put anyone off, I wrote Just Backs for two main reasons, I had worked outside the UK so knew what it is like to scramble about looking for 'proper' Hibs news, and I enjoyed doing it. I stopped enjoying it, the bickering pissed me off and a few other things finished it for me.

I gave up as I got scunnered. Its great you have put your thoughts forward Zellviren but I think its too late.

I am pleased some bouncers have volunteered to help #SKII with the Just Backs, I hope it survives. Although I will be honest and say I have enjoyed my time off, its great.

I think the feedback thing would put anyone off, I wrote Just Backs for two main reasons, I had worked outside the UK so knew what it is like to scramble about looking for 'proper' Hibs news, and I enjoyed doing it. I stopped enjoying it, the bickering pissed me off and a few other things finished it for me.

I suspect a similar thing happened with EGB and his decision to stay away. The printed word can be harsh, especially if people do not see the emotion behind it and sometimes take the words the wrong way. I have to be honest, I don't much feel like joining in many discussions nowadays. Went to a few bounce meet ups, maybe I am just too shy but often just never got into conversation with people. Loved the night at the Taxi club when Ivan and that other fella Shei...yeh the one who ended up at a dead team...

If there was a way to integrate Periscope onto the Bounce you could have folk watching games from the fans view or interviews from the pub 🙈

I'm actually a bit ignorant about Periscope, mainly with regard to the legality of using it in this way. There doesn't appear to be anything in Scots law that prohibits it, but what you're talking about fits nicely into my view for "Just Back" or (Green and) White Noise.

I originally started looking on the Bounce for the photos of the matches. The gallery used to be excellent. Uploads primarily from Forza and Jamie I believe?

I tend to think there are better ways for the distribution of images, but I'd also like to find a way to monetise what the artists are creating. Some of the photographs I've seen on this site are absolutely top class.

I think the feedback thing would put anyone off, I wrote Just Backs for two main reasons, I had worked outside the UK so knew what it is like to scramble about looking for 'proper' Hibs news, and I enjoyed doing it. I stopped enjoying it, the bickering pissed me off and a few other things finished it for me.

To what are you referring, bud? I didn't intend to imply that "Just Back" should have any form of feedback, so I'm wondering where I've not been clear - "Just Back" should be the responsibility of its author, as its always been, with the expansion plan little more than a separate addendum.

To chuck something else into the mix, what about more social events? Pool tournament in the Harp a few years ago was a great laugh and I met people that nught who remain good friends today.

I originally started looking on the Bounce for the photos of the matches. The gallery used to be excellent. Uploads primarily from Forza and Jamie I believe?

What about a monthly membership meeting too to discuss these types of matters face to face?

Looking forward to the proposed football match on the links in memory of Shaun, and there was a passing mention of a quiz night also to raise funds for charity or Procs fam. Can only imagine the competitive juices and pedantry that a Bounce quiz night could bring out.

It's a real shame that Mark has decided against continuing with Just Back, he brought his own personality to it and was darkly funny, as you would expect. But equally I enjoy SKIIs own version and I'm sure others will be equally as enjoyable to read.

Looking forward to the proposed football match on the links in memory of Shaun, and there was a passing mention of a quiz night also to raise funds for charity or Procs fam. Can only imagine the competitive juices and pedantry that a Bounce quiz night could bring out.

It's a real shame that Mark has decided against continuing with Just Back, he brought his own personality to it and was darkly funny, as you would expect. But equally I enjoy SKIIs own version and I'm sure others will be equally as enjoyable to read.

Will be posting up something about the hogmanay football match this week

Thanks Zellviren for the obvious effort and care you've put into these proposals, it's appreciated.

I'm particularly interested in this one:

'A live internet radio program broadcast on a weekly basis'

Recall some years back over the other side on h.net that there was a live program once a week for a little while with an enthusiastic small group of listeners including me. What made it more entertaining was the chatroom attached to to it making it interactive. Do believe it would be a great idea, especially with a mixture of Hibs and music.

Thanks Zellviren for the obvious effort and care you've put into these proposals, it's appreciated.

I'm particularly interested in this one:

'A live internet radio program broadcast on a weekly basis'

Recall some years back over the other side on h.net that there was a live program once a week for a little while with an enthusiastic small group of listeners including me. What made it more entertaining was the chatroom attached to to it making it interactive. Do believe it would be a great idea, especially with a mixture of Hibs and music.

I think it was dropped as very few listened to it?

Sorry but I don't think that there is the appetite. The club puts out the Neil Lennon media conference and very few watch it. I don't see much mileage in any of the proposals put forward by @Zellviren TBH. The better ones would require time and resource. And that equates to money.

The Bounce is likely in the latter days of The Pink. Sad. If more folk bought The Pink it would still be published. More of us need to post on The Bounce.

there was a passing mention of a quiz night also to raise funds for charity or Procs fam. Can only imagine the competitive juices and pedantry that a Bounce quiz night could bring out.

Pretty sure I could get good numbers together for a few quiz teams. Big G would easily get a room in the Hibs club as well or Harp and Castle might be able to accommodate if given notice and mutually agreeable day/time arranged.

If I recall correctly it was dropped because the person who organised and hosted it didn't want to do it any more. Stand to be corrected.

People typically stop doing things if they're created for a community reason, and don't see much engagement. The problem is that football fans are getting older, aren't spending much time online, and aren't looking for content of this type when they are.

The brand that the Bounce has, along with some carefully-placed "advertising", could do much more than a couple of guys doing a largely unconnected podcast. Even if it were linked solely to this forum, and promoted as part of it, it'd see a lot more engagement by virtue of the population that visits the forum daily.

The Bounce is likely in the latter days of The Pink. Sad. If more folk bought The Pink it would still be published. More of us need to post on The Bounce.

The Admins have done a great job and I hope they continue.

Sadly, i think you're spot on. The way fans get news/info/opinion on football has changed - from the much missed pink, to sitting at a home computer.....now people want their football fix easily on their phone - being able to scroll/swipe through a move of their thumb.

As owen says, a better mobile interface is needed. And IMHO social media has to be embraced. The bounce DOES need to reinvent itself if its not to go the way of the pink. Not saying i have the answers as such, just how i see it.

Sadly, i think you're spot on. The way fans get news/info/opinion on football has changed - from the much missed pink, to sitting at a home computer.....now people want their football fix easily on their phone - being able to scroll/swipe through a move of their thumb.

As owen says, a better mobile interface is needed. And IMHO social media has to be embraced. The bounce DOES need to reinvent itself if its not to go the way of the pink. Not saying i have the answers as such, just how i see it.

As it turns out, I do wholly agree with app functionality. I just think it's the second stage of any redesign folks choose to embrace.

People typically stop doing things if they're created for a community reason, and don't see much engagement. The problem is that football fans are getting older, aren't spending much time online, and aren't looking for content of this type when they are.

The brand that the Bounce has, along with some carefully-placed "advertising", could do much more than a couple of guys doing a largely unconnected podcast. Even if it were linked solely to this forum, and promoted as part of it, it'd see a lot more engagement by virtue of the population that visits the forum daily.

The above example was quite a few years ago, even back to the days of dial-up if I recall so I'm not going to portray it as the perfect example. Do believe it was only due to other commitments why it died and not particularly and trends or lack of interest at the time. It's maybe the type of thing that can be grown from modest beginnings I would think.

I think why people like myself liked it was very much due to it's interactivity. The fairly primitive chatroom allowed you to not only have a chat about Hibs but also put in music requests and have a few quiz questions on-air too. Much more appealing to me than simply listening to a one-dimensional podcast disseminating information in what can be a fairly sterile way.

Having said all this and agreeing about the type of functionality being needed, I do broadly also agree with Kenny's point above about posting more often. I don't speak for anyone but myself but I rarely instigate threads but do try to contribute. I have found this increasingly more difficult for some time due to, ironically, a lack of variety of new threads, something of a vicious circle. Perhaps if people are mindful about each of us posting that little bit more it might make a difference. What usually causes an upturn I notice are the slightly more controversial posters (no bad thing) and more, unusual and off the wall ones such as Moaty who freely initiate threads with whatever, sometimes abstract, thoughts come into their heads.

I agree with what a few have already said - social media is the main platform football fans generally use to get their news. That said forums certainly still are important, not just for non-social media users but also as a more focussed place for debate.

I don’t think the forum actually needs a massive re-invention, but it would benefit from a greater engagement with social media. Things like linking user accounts to their twitter/Facebook so that comments on the Bounce’s presence on those forums could perhaps be linked to the comments on the forum itself (I don’t know if or how that would be done, but maybe someone more technically gifted could). I’d also add Instagram to that, so that Hibs related videos & pictures could be shared to the forum.

Just Back has become a cornerstone of this site and needs to continue, but it shouldn’t fall on the same people doing it. The idea to put a rota together is the best way forward, but I guess there has to be enough interested contributors to keep it alive. It may be worth creating a permanent/sticky thread for people to volunteer to do the reports for matches.

We wanna be free, we wanna be free to do what we wanna do, and we wanna get loaded, and we wanna have a good time... That's what we're gonna do

Just Back has become a cornerstone of this site and needs to continue, but it shouldn’t fall on the same people doing it. The idea to put a rota together is the best way forward, but I guess there has to be enough interested contributors to keep it alive. It may be worth creating a permanent/sticky thread for people to volunteer to do the reports for matches.

The reality is that I adore Just Back, and would contribute to it if I were in Scotland attending matches.

I did one a while back that was well received, and I enjoyed writing it.

The reality is that I adore Just Back, and would contribute to it if I were in Scotland attending matches.

I did one a while back that was well received, and I enjoyed writing it.

I enjoyed writing the one I did for the Livingston game. Fans in your position are probably the main benificiaries of Just Back as they get a match report from a Hibs perspective, and are the ones who probably need it most.

I don’t agree with Club endorsement as the forum should be entirely independent from the football club.

My personal view is that the club can endorse something, without having any influence. It's up to the board, of course, but I think you're talking about independence and autonomy, and fan's groups just can't sacrifice that and remain credible.

Have noticed the Hibs Talk podcast has stopped, or no uploads to SoundCloud in recent weeks. Was a good listen to when walking into work or train through to game. The club endorsing the bounce in some way with a bit more visual display at games could go a long way to attracting new members and reviving interest from lost posters. I guess now we are filling the stadium more these days it makes it a bit harder to get banners etc up unless like the unanimous banner being held up to make a stance. Sent from my SM-G955F using Tapatalk

I feel there's little chance of that happening whilst Taliban.net contribute money to the club.

I don't think forums are obsolete just yet. There's a reasin the social media have a 'social' word in them; you can chat and mingle with family or friends and even strangers, and it is consequently quite tricky to get some kind of overview or narrative there.

Forums like the Bounce are principally for interest groups and make following the various stories going on at any one time a lot simpler. I alsi DON'T have to worry about family there (so much) so can say more directly what I feel.

Giod idea to have a permanent author-seeking thread for the Just Back reports; for me and other expats a boon but obviously I bow to the locals on thia if they disagree.

The same idea could perhaps be used for other recurrent items like a pre-match "Looking Forward To Tomorrow" thread or a "News upcoming This Qeek" on the cooshed.

Unlike others I don't really miss egb and indeed understand his need to throw off the shackles of his novel-length posts for some normal life instead. Most of us could not - or would not - feel the need foe such rigour in our posts and thought processes, esp not even on the political part of a footie fans forum.

I feel the first matter that needs action is a new, better mobile theme if available from Vbulletin. If that is not possible then sadly I think it might be time tto consider a change of software despite the nightmares that Jamie will surely tell us this would entail!

Is that last one at all feasible?

Fúckin clubs are fúckin dull the fúckin pubs are fúckin full
Of fúckin girls and fúckin guys with fúckin murder in their eyes

I think the Bounce is now where .Net was all those years ago, but I don't believe it needs to go the same way. Any web-site reaches a sense of maturity where personalities can dominate and views are then taken as the 'site' view. Some may call this a clique but I would never target that at the Bounce - it's been a place where anyone's view has been accommodated without being labelled as a 'Gunt' or subject to cowardly responses for not towing the party line. If this wasn't the case, people would feel free to continue to post without feeling they were 'going against the grain'.

That said, views become entrenched and I, sadly, no longer feel that I can always have a dialogue with Bouncers if I don't prescribe to the standard view or be known to Admins - I've perhaps called this badly as an under-current in the past few days, to be honest I don't know what it is - an influence, perhaps as London Bouncer said recently there is a greater alignment with the Dodgers as opposed to SevCo. I'm sure we all dislike the 'Glasgow bias', but in all honesty, I now feel that unless I align to the 'Celtic are good guys, Rangers are the wanks' argument that I don't have an opinion reflective of a Hibs fan of 50+ years - I flew up from London each week for games over many years. I detest equally either side of that horrendous sectarian divide, recently I'm afraid to say that the 'wider/site' view is that 'We all hate the Huns but Celtic are alright' is the over-arching focus - equally I hate the Huns and the Smellies - I'm not sure where the Celtic love-in comes from, despite our history - after all they tried to destroy our club (more years than is now relevant tbh) by nicking all our players. In many respects this did us a favour as we didn't become the focus of sectarian shame - Hibs is much more than that to so many people.

I sincerely hope that this is not taken as provocative/antagonistic as that is not the intention - it's merely my view.

I think the Bounce is now where .Net was all those years ago, but I don't believe it needs to go the same way. Any web-site reaches a sense of maturity where personalities can dominate and views are then taken as the 'site' view. Some may call this a clique but I would never target that at the Bounce - it's been a place where anyone's view has been accommodated without being labelled as a 'Gunt' or subject to cowardly responses for not towing the party line. If this wasn't the case, people would feel free to continue to post without feeling they were 'going against the grain'.

That said, views become entrenched and I, sadly, no longer feel that I can always have a dialogue with Bouncers if I don't prescribe to the standard view or be known to Admins - I've perhaps called this badly as an under-current in the past few days, to be honest I don't know what it is - an influence, perhaps as London Bouncer said recently there is a greater alignment with the Dodgers as opposed to SevCo. I'm sure we all dislike the 'Glasgow bias', but in all honesty, I now feel that unless I align to the 'Celtic are good guys, Rangers are the wanks' argument that I don't have an opinion reflective of a Hibs fan of 50+ years - I flew up from London each week for games over many years. I detest equally either side of that horrendous sectarian divide, recently I'm afraid to say that the 'wider/site' view is that 'We all hate the Huns but Celtic are alright' is the over-arching focus - equally I hate the Huns and the Smellies - I'm not sure where the Celtic love-in comes from, despite our history - after all they tried to destroy our club (more years than is now relevant tbh) by nicking all our players. In many respects this did us a favour as we didn't become the focus of sectarian shame - Hibs is much more than that to so many people.

I sincerely hope that this is not taken as provocative/antagonistic as that is not the intention - it's merely my view.

Can't say I've noticed a smeltic love in on here?

I hardly ever even read .net. This place is head and shoulders above that site , and I always got the impression we ( bouncers) were more close knit because we had a lot smaller number of posters . It maybe has got more " tight knit " to the point some posters were not getting replies while a dozen or twenty posters reacted to each other .
I still think it's a great place , and is my first vist when I pick up the iPad . Long live the bounce

I agree with Duns fella to a degree.
I hate the The Huns with a passion- the Smellies I just detest.
Having taken a beating from IRA dressed Smellies at Hampden in the early 70s I have nothing but loathing for them. Who says I bear a grudge?

I sense a few here are far ‘closer’ to the Smellies than I will ever be.

I agree with Duns fella to a degree.
I hate the The Huns with a passion- the Smellies I just detest.
Having taken a beating from IRA dressed Smellies at Hampden in the early 70s I have nothing but loathing for them. Who says I bear a grudge?

I sense a few here are far ‘closer’ to the Smellies than I will ever be.

I'm not going to say too much on this subject except that the I hope the Bounce can continue long term as I have hugely enjoyed over the years both contributing my opinions on it and reading the views and opinions of others. The Cowshed has been an education for me and it's real pity EGB Hibs has stopped contributing as I found his views enlightening to say the least. It's been sad to see so many excellent posters stop contributing over the last few years but hopefully more will come on board and who knows there may be some coming back. The Bounce is the only football forum I post on and would ever want to post on. I don't like Hibs.net very much and I find the level of debate on the Bounce so much more informed. Apart from the Bounce and a Springsteen website I post on...that's about it for me. I have a facebook account but that's only for very occasional messaging, I don't use it otherwise. Twitter I have no interest in.

As for the Celtic "love-in" personally I don't see it on the Bounce...it would certainly not come from myself. I have no time for either of the Old Firm and never have done. As a football fan I will praise players from either of those clubs whom I think deserve it, but the clubs themselves I have no interest in and no liking for. I also have no interest at all in Hearts and I am always surprised at how so many Hibs fans seem so pre-occupied with them and what they are doing.

Sorry I am not coming up with any new ideas to attract new posters, I just wanted to make it known that IMO this is an excellent forum which is well run and I hope very much it can continue and flourish for years to come.

"I can't stress enough how important it is to be in possession of the football - it is better to be the matador rather than the bull"

I despise Rangers over anything in life I think. A murderer is scum, a Rangers supporting murderer is worse. Given we've been on 'holiday' from Celtc for a few seasons I think my hatred for them has been diluted. Give it a couple of seasons and normal practice will be restored and my tanks will be back running on full.

I despise Rangers over anything in life I think. A murderer is scum, a Rangers supporting murderer is worse. Given we've been on 'holiday' from Celtc for a few seasons I think my hatred for them has been diluted. Give it a couple of seasons and normal practice will be restored and my tanks will be back running on full.

Also, I love Leigh Griffiths.

I agree, although I never had the hatred of Thellick like many others, maybe being brought up RC in West Lothian with lots of Celtc supporting pals plays a part?

Worth adding to the Leigh Griffiths love, there is also Neil Lennon, Efe Abrose, Dylan McGeouch, Gary Parker, Anthony Stokes and even John McGinn with significant links to them. The there was Hendo and that delivery!

Just to underline my travel agent pals words, I despised the Huns, more so the New Huns.

I enjoyed writing the one I did for the Livingston game. Fans in your position are probably the main benificiaries of Just Back as they get a match report from a Hibs perspective, and are the ones who probably need it most.

- - - Updated - - -

I don’t agree with Club endorsement as the forum should be entirely independent from the football club.

I maybe should have said embrace the bounce more. My point was that as The Bounce supports the club in many ways it should have a more visual representation, especially at ER on match days. I don't want or think the club should have any involvement in the way it is ran but if we are looking to get new fellow Hibees on board then where better than a packed ER.

I don't see any problem with the club showing some support back, in fact it's what I would call engagement with fans and supporters.

Here's a problem I find with read the Bounce, just on a presentation note. My custom is to use 'New Posts' to gather quickly new threads and what people are currently talking about. I've just done this as an exercise and noted that out of 25 threads, fully 17 of them are from the Official Hibs Feed, mostly marketing threads.

That's 17 less threads than I might potentially reply to on any New Posts search.

I find they clutter up the board and obscure the good reading material. Frankly, although I understand the need for marketing and selling the club, I find the endless begging day in, day out a little tiresome. For that reason I'd like to see them removed from the search as standard.

Here's a problem I find with read the Bounce, just on a presentation note. My custom is to use 'New Posts' to gather quickly new threads and what people are currently talking about. I've just done this as an exercise and noted that out of 25 threads, fully 17 of them are from the Official Hibs Feed, mostly marketing threads.

That's 17 less threads than I might potentially reply to on any New Posts search.

I find they clutter up the board and obscure the good reading material. Frankly, although I understand the need for marketing and selling the club, I find the endless begging day in, day out a little tiresome. For that reason I'd like to see them removed from the search as standard.

Hibs dont work with the websites, they post their $#@!e with no words, no credit to the websites, just a link to the club. When I was an admin we agreed we would give them their own forum to sell their wares until they chose to work with the fans, then working with the fans never happened, instead they run the working together rubbish with the hingers oan and wannabees. So we marginalised their adverts.

Hibs dont work with the websites, they post their $#@!e with no words, no credit to the websites, just a link to the club. When I was an admin we agreed we would give them their own forum to sell their wares until they chose to work with the fans, then working with the fans never happened, instead they run the working together rubbish with the hingers oan and wannabees. So we marginalised their adverts.

never read any of the club threads on here, does anyone? get ticket info from club twitter usually

Here's a problem I find with read the Bounce, just on a presentation note. My custom is to use 'New Posts' to gather quickly new threads and what people are currently talking about. I've just done this as an exercise and noted that out of 25 threads, fully 17 of them are from the Official Hibs Feed, mostly marketing threads.

That's 17 less threads than I might potentially reply to on any New Posts search.

I find they clutter up the board and obscure the good reading material. Frankly, although I understand the need for marketing and selling the club, I find the endless begging day in, day out a little tiresome. For that reason I'd like to see them removed from the search as standard.

A suggestion.

Once you read the posts you want to hit 'Mark forums read' or whatever it says at the bottom of the list.

Unless someone contributes to them you'll never see them again.

To be honest I quite like seeing what the club is saying. More often than not the headline will be enough for me to decide if I should go further and open the link. I agree though a couple of lines of content would be even better.